The operator control of vehicle functions by the driver while driving is rendered possible today particularly by means of multifunctional steering wheels. These have operator control elements, which means that the driver can operate the infotainment system without taking his attention from the traffic on the road, and particularly his hands from the steering wheel. In future, however, vehicles will be capable of undertaking transverse and longitudinal guidance independently under certain conditions. Constant monitoring of the vehicle driving by the driver is then no longer necessary. During the journey, the driver then has time to perform other activities. In this case, the display of expanded display contents on a display area of the infotainment system is possible without any problems. In a travel mode in which the vehicle is being driven automatically, additional functions cannot be operated using the multifunctional steering wheel. This is possible only by an additional operator control unit, which is usually arranged in the central console of the vehicle.
Disclosed embodiments provide a method and an apparatus of the type mentioned at the outset that can be used in a simple manner to allow convenient operator control of the infotainment system in a vehicle mode in which the driver is not driving the vehicle himself.